The Place Where I'll Return To
by fffffan
Summary: Basically a retelling of the events in FFIX... :  I love retellings ;
1. Prologue

Like I said, it just popped out of my mind one day :) I'm sorry if you might get confused with something. Sometimes, I even get confused with something I wrote myself. Haha! Oh this is my first time doing something like this...

Prologue

It was a bustling night in Treno.

Of course the city of Treno was always bustling, but tonight, nobles and peasants alike were gathering near the entrance gate to listen to a man bringing with him exciting news from the kingdom of Alexandria.

"The famous Tantalus theater troupe who brought you the hit 'Funny Eidolon' will be performing the famous play 'I Want to Be Your Canary' in the kingdom of Alexandria to celebrate Princess Garnet's 16th birthday!" bellowed the putty-faced man, waving his hammer above his head, and waving a stack of tickets in his other hand. "The play will star Marcus as Marcus, and Ruby as Cornelia! Get your tickets here before it's too late! Only 3500 gil for one ticket! 8000 gil if you want two!"

The well-dressed half of the crowd surged forward, shaking their sacks of gil at the man. The other half shook their heads in disappointment and started to walk back to the slums.

One lone figure, however, did not surge forward, nor did he leave.

He was a strange sight. All you could see of his face were two glowing yellow eyes as his head was covered mostly by his big pointy hat. He was dressed in a blue vest and striped shorts and he was wearing a sturdy pair of shoes.

The boy checked his pockets. He brought out a sack and peered inside. Yes, he had enough to buy one ticket. But should he? The play seemed interesting enough, and he had always wanted to see Alexandria.

The boy thought of what his grandfather told him about money, "Money important. No spend on no use things." But his grandfather always seemed to squander his own money on expensive delicacies around the Mist continent. His grandfather said it was the way of the gourmand.

The boy suddenly felt lonely. His grandfather just passed away recently. He thought of what his grandfather would say if he asked whether to buy the tickets or not.

"You want it, you get it."

His decision made, he approached the man, who was now counting his newly-acquired money.

"Yes yes," the man muttered. "The boss will be pleased."

The boy said in a small voice, "O-one ticket, please!"

"Sorry kid," the man said, not looking away from his newly-acquired money. "Sold out already."

"Oh, okay," the boy said in a disappointed voice, hanging his head. He began to walk away.

"Better luck next time, kid!" the man called out.

The boy wandered around aimlessly for a few minutes around the familiar city. Just as he decided to go home for the night, he heard a voice.

"Hey! Over here!"

He looked around and found the source of the voice. The speaker was a silver-haired man in a green hat, gesturing to him from the alleys.

The boy approached the alley and once he could see the man clearly, he stared at the odd quirk of the man. The man had four arms, one of which was hidden in the pocket of his worn red pants.

"I overheard you and that ticket seller a while ago," the man said. "Seems like you wanted to watch that play."

The boy tore his eyes away from the man's third and fourth arm, looked up and nodded.

"Well, it just so happens that I have an extra ticket tight here," the man said, taking his hand out of his pocket to reveal a rectangular sheet of paper. "You wanna buy it? I'll even give a discount. 3000 gil instead of 3500."

The boy nodded eagerly and gave the man 3000 gil. The man handed him the ticket. He thanked the man and ran to the entrance of Treno, not hearing the snicker the man gave off.

The boy ran excitedly towards his home, a cave quite near to the city of Treno. He planned to set off for Alexandria the very next day, but he had to visit his grandpa's grave and tell him where he was going first.

The boy smiled to himself. He was going to Alexandria!

Uh...so...what did you think? *prays that it's okay for the first time* Suggestions or something? :)


	2. Chapter 1

Umm, so this starts off like the video game...

Oh, I don't own anything...

* * *

Chapter 1

A storm. Dark clouds covered the sky. Lightning flashed across the horizon. The waves of the ocean rose and sank.

In the midst of the storm was a boat that was struggling to keep afloat. One of the boat's passengers struggled to maneuver the sails. The other passenger was holding a bundle of brown cloth and tried to keep her balance in the fierce wind.

An enormous wave crashed on the boat and the female passenger fell on her back, but never let go of what she was holding, although the wave carried the cloth away. In her arms was a small baby with a horn right in the middle of its forehead.

Princess Garnet woke up with a start.

It's that dream again, she thought. The princess was sitting in her favorite chair in her bedroom, the one nearest to the window. She must have dozed off while she was enjoying the afternoon breeze. She put her hands to her forehead and realized she was sweating profusely. She just hoped she wasn't sweating so much that a stain would show on the dress she was wearing.

The dress was a gift from her mother, Queen Brahne of Alexandria, for her 16th birthday, and it wouldn't be nice to ruin the dress her mother had ordered ten tailors to sew.

I almost forgot, she thought, it is my birthday today.

Princess Garnet sighed. She liked her birthday as much as the average person, but she didn't really like all the festivities and celebrations that her birthday supposedly demanded. Sometimes, she wished she could just have a fancy quiet dinner with her mother, but she knew the queen would never agree.

If all goes well, I will not need to worry about this anymore, she thought to herself.

She stood up from the chair and walked to the window. She peered down at Alexandria. Although the festivities didn't officially start until twilight, she could see the preparations and feel the excitement in the air. Many people seemed to be in Alexandria that day, more than usual and most of them nobles. It must be because of the Tantalus troupe performing, she mused.

She looked up to the sky and watched the birds flying above her.

Will I ever be as free as a bird?

WHYUDELETEMYPARAGRAPHBREAKS

The blonde-haired youth lowered himself down the pole and entered the only door visible.

"Sure is dark," he commented. "Guess nobody's here yet…"

He fumbled around in his pockets until he found what he was looking for. He took out the box of matches and lit one. He walked to the middle of the room where a candle was sitting on a table. He lit the candle and blew out the match.

A voice called out from the next room. "Who's there!"

"It's me, Zidane," the blonde replied.

The door burst open and three individuals entered the room.

After meeting the three's eyes, Zidane crossed his arms over his chest and the rest followed suit. It looked like some sort of salute.

"Hey Zidane, you sure are late," the first one said. He was taller than Zidane and had a lean but muscular build. His hair was a fiery red and his eyes were covered by a brown piece of cloth. Zidane never found out how he could see through it. His face looked handsome enough, at least from what you could see of it.

"Yeah, I know, Blank. Sorry about that, guys. I dozed off a bit." Zidane looked around. "So… where's the boss?"

"Ain't here yet," replied the person in the middle. He had quite a shocking face. His eyes were covered in black makeup, presumably to make him look scarier, but only served to make his face look even more comical. He had a red bulbous nose and a prominent beer belly. He was clutching a hammer in his right hand and was repeatedly banging it against his thigh. "Wait till the boss hears how much money I've earned in Treno! I sold the tickets for more than double its price, but those nobles never batted an eye!"

"Nice going, Cinna!" the last one said. The last person needed no introduction. Anyone on the street (or at least, any girl) could tell you that the person with the bandanna on his head was Marcus of the Tantalus theater troupe. However, not many knew that Marcus, in addition to being an actor, was also a pickpocket.

In fact, all the people in the room were four of the best pickpockets this side of the Mist Continent (and probably the other side too.)

Zidane rubbed his hands together. "So, how much money we talking about here?"

At that moment, the door opposite the one Blank, Cinna and Marcus came out from burst open and a monster with a long blue head jumped out and roared.

Zidane immediately ran around to the back of the creature while the others covered the front and sides. Cinna approached the creature and tried to pound it with his hammer but it parried his attack with a sword it brought out from his pocket and quickly knocked Cinna out with a quick blow to his head with the hilt.

Zidane, seeing his chance, dashed forward and slashed the monster with his dagger. It roared in pain and tried to hit Zidane but he quickly jumped back, narrowly avoiding the glinting blade of the sword.

Blank and Marcus charged forward together and hit the monster in the head with their swords. Their swords made a distinctive "clunk" as they connected.

The monster's head split into two and out popped the head of Baku, the head of the thieves. "Ughuaa! Go easy, guys!" it said.

"Yeah, tell that to Cinna, boss," Marcus said.

Cinna was just regaining consciousness. "I-I'll be fine," he said, laying flat on the floor and panting heavily.

"Gwahahahaha!" their boss laughed, his ears flapping. No matter how Zidane looked at him, he always reminded Zidane of a bat. Maybe it was the big flappy ears or maybe the furry skin or maybe it was the way he always swooped on his troupe unsuspectingly (like he did just now). But despite appearances, Zidane knew that Baku was a kind-hearted man (and sticky-fingered, but that's beside the point). "You're looking a lot better!" Baku rubbed Zidane's head.

Zidane met Baku when Baku picked him up off the streets of Lindblum. He was still about 7 years old then and he didn't know anything about himself aside from his name, Zidane Tribal. He didn't remember his parents, his hometown, or even his birthday. He didn't know why he had a tail, although no one really seemed to mind. All he remembered was a blue light and that could have been anything. Baku "adopted" him and trained him to be a pickpocket, like all the others. Now at 16, Zidane thought of the troupe as his own family and Baku as his - though he would never admit it – father.

"Alright, enough with this horsing around! Let's start this meeting already!" Baku ordered, kicking open the door to the meeting room. Zidane and the others quickly went in the room, where they settled themselves around a table.

"Here's the plan!" Baku said, gesturing to the table. Zidane peered at it and saw that a miniature Alexandria castle was set up on it. Baku continued, "Tantalus, the infamous band of daring thieves (that's us) is heading to the Kingdom of Alexandria... Our mission: to kidnap the heir to the throne, Princess Garnet!" Baku held up a small rag doll complete with a golden crown to represent the princess.

Zidane looked at it closely. "Hey, Cinna! Isn't that your doll?" he asked.

"H-how did you-" Cinna spluttered out, but decided not to finish his sentence. He cleared his throat. "I'll take it from here, so listen up! We're going to Alexandria and perform 'I Want to Be Your Canary', the most popular play right now. Marcus, break a leg! Cause you're playing the lead!"

Marcus stood up. "Leave the acting to me! I'll have the Alexandrian women swooning to their knees," he chuckled. "Blank, Zidane, we're counting on you to do the actual kidnapping."

This time, Blank stood up. "I'll distract the audience backstage with the oglops. Ugh, I can't stand these things, but I'll manage. Then it's your cue, Zidane!"

"Okay!" Zidane chirped. "That's when I kidnap Queen Brahne, right?"

"Right!" Baku agreed. "You're gonna kidnap the fat-ass, butt-ugly Queen Br— what… what am I saying!"

Zidane laughed. "That's when I kidnap the princess, right?"

"You bet! You're gonna kidnap the most babe-licious beauty in all of Alexandria, Princess Garnet!"

"Don't worry! I won't mess it up!" Zidane assured everyone. He wondered if the princess was as pretty as they say she was.

* * *

Okay...I don't know what scene I should put next... (It's probably gonna be Vivi though...)


	3. Chapter 2

I'm not very good at this updating thing, am I? Oh well... sigh...

* * *

Chapter 2

The boy was panting heavily as he approached the gates to Alexandria. I'm finally here, he thought. He would have been happier had he not been so tired from walking for the past two weeks. Of course he didn't walk _all_ the way; he hitched on a few carriages on the way, but majority of the journey consisted of walking (and running from the monsters he couldn't scare with his Fire magic.)

Just when the boy was about to enter the gated city, two swords came crashing down in front of him, forming an X. They were held by two lady knights in armor. Well, the boy called it armor but he actually thought it looked more like a swimsuit than something for protection but he kept his thoughts to himself. Who was he to question the odd customs of kingdoms? At least they're wearing helmets and boots, he thought.

"Wait one moment please!" the knight on the left commanded.

"State your reason for entering Alexandria!" the right one said in an equally intimidating voice.

Not trusting his voice to speak, he held out his ticket to them. The left one took a cursory glance at his ticket and nodded. In much more welcoming voices, the two knights proclaimed, "Welcome to the kingdom of Alexandria!"

Timidly, the boy walked in and immediately froze in his tracks.

The castle of Alexandria rose before him. He saw the castle while he was traveling and could see immediately that it was enormous. But he never imagined it could be this grandiose and impressive up close. Four identical towers made of the finest mortar rose to the skies as if to pierce them. In the center of it all was a transparent tower which rose higher than all the other towers. It seemed to serve no purpose whatsoever but nonetheless the effect was impressive.

After staring for a few more seconds, the boy saw that his surroundings suddenly became dark as if the sun had set too early. He looked up and saw the biggest airship he had ever seen. The people around him started cheering at the sight of the airship.

"Woohoo! Tantalus is here!"

"I can't wait to see the play!"

"This is going to be the best festival ever!"

"I LOVE YOU, MARCUS!"

The cheers were contagious. Despite being very tired, the boy couldn't help feeling just a little bit excited.

As the airship drifted off towards the castle, the crowds began to too. To get in the castle before the long lines presumably, the boy thought. He began to make his way to wherever the crowds were going when he was pushed from behind. He fell flat on the ground.

"S-sorry," he said in a really soft voice, trying to apologize for being in the way. But the one who pushed him didn't even notice and continued running.

"Are you awright?"

He looked up. There was a little girl about his size looking worriedly at him. He nodded to her, indicating he was fine. He got to his feet unsteadily and straightened his hat.

"Here! You dwopped your ticket," she told him and held out his ticket.

He took it from her and bowed deeply to show his thanks. The girl smiled widely and waved goodbye.

The boy pushed his pointy hat (which miraculously didn't fall off) harder down on his head and started to set off for the ticket booth. Judging by the crowd, the boy decided that it was in the middle of town and started to walk, gazing in wonder at the sights on the way. Although Treno was amazing itself, the boy just felt a different atmosphere in Alexandria. Perhaps it was the festive air.

After walking for a few minutes, he finally reached the ticket booth, or at least the end of the line leading to the ticket booth.

He waited for almost an hour before he could even see the ticket booth from where he was standing. Another hour passed before he could present his ticket to the ticket lady… or was it a ticket man? The boy wasn't exactly sure.

The ticket person looked at his ticket intently and sighed. He turned to the boy and said gravely, "Sorry, m'boy, but this ticket is fake."

The boy hung his head. He should have known not to trust anyone with four arms. He walked dejectedly away and into an alley

Now what? he thought. This journey was a waste of t—

Suddenly, someone hit him from behind. The boy spun around and came face to face with a rat-faced kid.

"Your ticket's fake, right?" he demanded.

"Uh…y-y-yes it is," the boy admitted sadly.

"Hmmm…" the kid looked at the boy with the pointy hat up and down. "I could use you. Tell you what. I'll let you see the show if you become my slave."

The boy thought about it. A slave? Did he really want to be this boy's slave? On the other hand, he'd get to see the show and he'd really hate it if all this journeying would be in vain. Having decided what to do, the boy nodded.

"Excellent!" the kid replied. "Now for your first mission…"

* * *

The princess looked at the mirror. "I can do this!" she told her reflection. But despite her reassurance to her reflection, her pumping heart gave her away. She was afraid. As far as she could remember, Princess Garnet has never set foot outside Alexandria. And now she was planning on leaving without supervision.

I must do this, she told herself once again. I cannot fail, for the sake of Alexandria… and my mother.

She grabbed her favorite white travelling cloak (which she never used for travelling before), wrapped it around herself, and waited for the perfect opportunity.

* * *

Despite my long break, I do like writing this thing. :D Haha! FFIX rox my sox :P


	4. Chapter 3

Well, this chapter went faster than I thought. Enjoy Steiner, people! :P

I don't own FF9 :)

* * *

Chapter 3

The knight clanked his way around the castle, checking for intruders. Although the castle was heavily guarded, he wasn't taking any chances. With all the festivities going on for the birthday of the princess, anything could happen.

He was about to patrol the castle for the sixth time when someone called out his name.

"Captain Adelbert Steiner, running around in that rusty armor as always, I see," a woman said, slowly walking towards the knight. She was tall with long brown hair that tumbled gracefully just past her shoulder. She wore practically no armor (which annoyed Steiner to no end) even though she was one of the top generals and fiercest warriors of Alexandria. She merely wore an embroidered white top and reddish-brown tights that clung to her shapely legs. She wore a belt in which her sword, Save the Queen, was sheathed.

General Beatrix has been Steiner's rival for about ten years. The rivalry started when Steiner, in a brief stroke of luck, managed to beat Beatrix in a practice match. Beatrix took her defeat as an insult and has, ever since then, tried her best to outdo Steiner in almost every aspect, like who could make the better banner of knights, who could eat the most pies in one sitting, who could shoot the bull's eye in the archery range first, and even who is better liked by the Queen and the princess.

"Beatrix," Steiner spat out. "At least I'm doing something, instead of just lounging about the castle grounds, looking sex— I mean, busy."

Beatrix smirked. "Heh. To tell you the truth, I've already caught five intruders with this "_busy"_ figure of mine. Well, it's okay, Captain. You've got lots of time to catch up. Best six out of eleven?" She walked briskly past Steiner, flipping her hair smoothly.

As soon as she was out of sight, Steiner jumped up and down on the spot like a child, having one of his infamous temper tantrums.

Oh, that Beatrix, someday I'll show her, he thought angrily. Captain Adelbert Steiner does not go down without a fight!

With renewed determination, Steiner once again started to patrol the perimeters of the castle, hoping to catch at least six trespassers lurking about.

Zero.

Steiner didn't find even one single intruder in the castle (except a stray cat and an oglop, which Steiner absolutely refused to touch). He wondered if Beatrix had been making up lies about trespassers in the castle.

The clock struck eight. Steiner jumped. He was late!

He immediately started barreling his way to the Queen's room (making a lot of noise in the process), lest _someone_ get there first.

He needn't have worried. Nobody was outside the Queen's quarters except for two of his Pluto knights, Blutzen and Kohel. They saluted and greeted him with an enthusiastic "Captain, Sir! Good evening, Sir!"

He acknowledged them with his own salute, and said, "You are dismissed from guard duty. You may go."

They immediately thanked him and started running like little kids, presumably to watch the play. Steiner opened his mouth to scold them, but decided he's let them go this once. After all, it was the Princess' birthday. Celebration _was_ in order. And he was in a particularly good mood because a certain _somebody_ was absent for the moment.

"Captain!"

Speak of the devil. Steiner turned and smirked at General Beatrix. "Well, well, this is a first, General Beatrix failing to come on time as ordered?"

Beatrix looked affronted. "On the contrary, Captain, aren't you the one who's late? Weren't you supposed to escort Princess Garnet, the most important person of tonight, for whom all these festivities have been prepared for?"

Steiner felt like a sword had pierced his heart. She was right. Steiner had felt so honored when Princess Garnet requested him, _him_ instead of Miss Perfect Beatrix, to escort her to her seat on her birthday. How could he forget?

He immediately dashed to the princess's room, thankful that her room was just a corridor away from the Queen's. When he finally ground to a stop in front of the princess's room, she was already waiting outside her room. When she saw Steiner, she immediately smiled brightly at him.

"Captain Steiner! Thank goodness you're here! I was worried."

Steiner blushed. The princess was always nice to him, which was more than he could say for half the population of Alexandria castle. "I apologize, Princess. I – uh, I was patrolling the grounds to ensure that no harm comes your way."

"I am grateful, Captain. Now, shall we proceed?"

"Of course, princess."

They started walking towards the balcony where the Queen and the princess would be watching the play from. Steiner glanced at the princess. She seemed to be thinking about something unpleasant. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she kept biting her bottom lip nervously.

"Excuse me for my rudeness, but is everything all right, princess?" he asked worriedly.

"Huh? Wha? Oh no, everything is fine, Captain. Everything is fine," she replied. Steiner was not convinced, but decided not to push his luck.

They arrived at the balcony door. Steiner was about to push open the door, when the princess spoke up. "I need to go to the lavatory."

Steiner immediately responded. "I shall escort you there, princess."

"Oh, no need, Captain. It is just right around the corner. And I would not want you to miss the play just because of that."

"But prince-"

"I insist, Captain. I will make it an order, if you will disobey me."

"Oh no! That was not my intention, princess!"

"Then please go ahead, Captain." She swiftly trotted around the corridor.

Steiner could do nothing else except to follow the princess's demands, no matter how odd they were.

* * *

Concerning the thing about Beatrix beating Steiner, I read about it in the Final Fantasy Wikia. Apparently, it's true. O.O I can't believe it either.

Oh, and I should thank Shotgunnova for the game script he posted in Gamefaqs. I use it a lot. (Although not with this chapter. Cause this scene didn't really happen in the game :P)

Hope you liked it. :D Comments and suggestions are always welcome ;)


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: And now the plot thickens :) I want to write in other people's POV, like Freya's or Quina's (definitely Quina) but guess I'll have to wait :P**

**:{ - PRINGLES!**

* * *

Chapter 4

"Pray, sheathe thy swords! This villain is mine alone!" Marcus bellowed to Zidane, Blank and Cinna as they rushed forward to help him defeat Baku (playing the treacherous King Leo.)

"Nay, kinsman! For I, too, have lost a brother to this fiend!" Cinna argued back.

Zidane almost yawned. He personally thought that the plot of the play was kind of lame, but who was he to say that? The audience seemed to love it. Maybe this was the closest the nobles could get to excitement in their lives, unlike Zidane's own life when everyday was an adventure.

"Zidane!" Blank hissed. "Line!"

Baku said his line once again. "All who stand in my way will be crush'd!"

Zidane tried to recall his lines but couldn't.

There was an awkward silence.

"Um-uh, to? Ta? Tr? T-Treacherous Leo!" Zidane exclaimed. "My kinsman's suffering shall not be in vain! For I shall instruct thee in his incomparable pain!"

Blank breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the audience had noticed nothing. In fact, they started cheering when the actors began to perform their stage fight. After a series of battle maneuvers (which in Zidane's opinion couldn't compare to a real fight), King Leo was soundly defeated. He ran up the stairs waving his fist.

"Arrg... Grr... Thou hast not seen the last of me, Marcus!" he shouted before leaving the stage.

"Wait!" Zidane called, who was really into his character now.

Blank held Zidane back.

"Out of the way, Blank!" Zidane yelled.

"Consider this, Zidane! If Prince Schnieder were to marry Princess Cornelia, peace would reign over both their kingdoms!" Blank replied.

"'Tis foolishness! If all were so easy, why, none would suffer in this world!" Zidane, in spite of himself, was beginning to like this acting thing. I mean, having hordes of screaming fans wasn't exactly what he'd call a bad thing (although he didn't exactly have hordes of fans yet; only Marcus had those).

Zidane and Blank began their fancy swordplay, to the delight of the audience.

"It looks so real from here!"

"Oh, I just love this part!"

"Sweaty men in a fight. That's what I call hot."

"Kick that Blank's ass, Zidane! Schnieder can't marry Cornelia! Marcus and Cornelia belong together!"

"Speak for yourself, dearie! Marcus is mine, not Cornelia's."

Blank grinned furtively at Zidane. "This audience is quite lively, aren't they?" Blank whispered.

Zidane chuckled. "You think we should go down now?"

Blank nodded. "Sure!"

Zidane and Blank rushed down to the viewing area where the cheers and shouts of the audience were even more deafening.

"En garde!" Blank exclaimed.

"Expect no quarter from me!" Zidane retaliated.

Blank swung his sword above Zidane, and Zidane ducked, swinging his own sword at Blank. Blank jumped out of the way just in time, making the audience gasp.

"Careful with that, won't you?" Blank hissed. "That could seriously hurt someone."

Zidane smirked. "Yeah, yeah, just cause you can't compete with my sword skills," he whispered.

Blank smirked. "Oh, so that's how it is, huh?" Blank suddenly became more aggressive, raining sword blows at Zidane. Zidane only managed to block Blank's attacks and couldn't retaliate. Blank's smirk grew wider. He raised his sword to strike a heavy slash on Zidane while covertly giving Zidane the signal that it was time to break off the fight.

As Blank slashed down, Zidane raised his sword and blocked it. Blank's grip loosened on the sword and Zidane managed to fling it away (almost hitting a nobleman who tumbled off his chair as he saw it hurtling towards him).

Blank took a step back. "We shall finish this later!" he called before turning around and running.

Zidane called, "Come back here!"

Zidane and Blank ran in the Alexandrian castle. The audience cheered, unaware that the two who just entered the castle was about to kidnap the sole princess of Alexandria.

Zidane high-fived Blank and started to laugh. "That was easier than I thought."

Blank shushed him but allowed himself an impish grin. "Yeah, these Alexandrians aren't very good with security, are they?"

"HALT!"

Blank and Zidane quickly spun around and found themselves face to face with two swords that were held by two identically dressed soldiers.

"Woah! Woah! Easy there!" Zidane held up his hands.

One of the soldiers peered closely at him and gasped. "You!"

Zidane blinked. "Me?"

Blank glared at him. It seemed as if Zidane ruined the plan before it even happened.

The soldier unexpectedly lowered his sword and ran forward to shake Zidane's hand. "You're Zidane Tribal, one of Tantalus' actors. I'm very pleased and honoured to meet you, Mr. Tribal."

The other soldier slowly lowered his own weapon and he took off his helmet. "Then you must be Blank!" he said to Blank before shaking his hand too.

"We're sorry about what happened earlier. We heard a noise and assumed it was intruders."

Zidane laughed. "It's okay, it's okay. No harm done! Mr—?"

"Blutzen, sir! And this here is Kohel, sir!" The other soldier waved his hand and grinned.

"Nice to meet you two," Blank said, relaxing as it seemed the plan wasn't ruined after all. In fact, it was going quite well. The plan actually required two soldiers, and the two soldiers in front of them would do just well.

Zidane asked, "So are you on duty now? Cause we'd like someone to show us around."

Kohel spoke up. "We were released from duty by our captain, but we should be ready at all times, so we must stay in the vicinity of the castle and its grounds. But I see no problem with us showing honoured guests of Alexandria around the castle."

"Great! On to the tour! Why don't we visit the knights' room first?" Zidane suggested.

"Right this way, sir!" Blutzen said. He and Kohel began to walk towards a nearby door. Zidane looked at Blank and they exchanged an evil grin.

"Sirs! Come on in!" Kohel called. Zidane and Blank followed them through the doorway. Blank slowly closed the door behind him and silently locked the door.

Poor Blutzen and Kohel; they didn't know what hit them.

:((((((

"Hey Blank," Zidane called. "I think I know what these two were doing before we got here."

Blank, who was still putting on the armor that was formerly Blutzen's, replied, "I bet it's not that interesting.

"_Au contraire,_ my friend, it is very interesting." Zidane held up a magazine with a large-breasted woman posing provocatively in the cover.

Blank glanced at it and shrugged. "Not my type. Now stop fooling around Zidane. Wear your helmet." Blank gave a helmet to Zidane.

"But this helmet…It kinda smells…" Zidane grumbled after sniffing Kohel's helmet, and tossing it aside.

"What are you talkin' about! My helmet totally reeks! My armor's way too big... And my back's real itchy... The boots are wet... My gloves are all slimy... There's cookie crumbs in my pockets..." Blank began ranting.

"Okay, I get the picture! Geez!" Zidane said, giving up. "You still have the package, right?"

"Don't worry, I won't screw up!"

"Alright! Now time to go pour some sleeping potion in the princess' cup." Zidane said.

Blank snickered. "And I have a special gift for the queen."

Before leaving the room, Zidane snatched up the magazine and tucked it safely underneath his clothes. Hey, a guy had needs. Blank and Zidane then left the soldiers' room.

"According to recon, the royal seats should be right above these stairs!"

"Right! Let's go!" Zidane began running up the stairs when a white-hooded figure appeared before him. Zidane's eyes widened as he glimpsed a smooth-skinned face with a perfectly-shaped nose. Before he could see any more, the girl lowered her head, and whispered, "Ummm… would you please let me pass?"

Zidane knew that he should (it was only polite), but there was something odd about this girl. He wasn't sure why, but he felt that letting her pass would be a mistake.

Zidane didn't know then that that decision would change his life.

:((((((

The princess was growing impatient. Every time she tried to exit the lavatory, she would inevitably see someone approaching, causing her to hide once again. She had on her disguise, but it was best to be sure.

I have never seen that cook before, she thought, as she spied an odd-looking creature in a chef's hat, with its tongue lolling out. Then again, she never had ventured into the kitchen.

As the cook went off exclaiming "Something smell good!", the princess immediately ran towards the staircase and hoped against hope that no one would see her.

No such luck.

The princess was suddenly face to face with a helmetless soldier. She tried to hide her face, scared he would recognize her. Before she lowered her head, she glimpsed a pair of blue mischievous eyes that were gazing at her appreciatively.

"Ummm… would you please let me pass?" the princess whispered.

"Let's see," the soldier mumbled.

Princess Garnet ducked her head even lower. "Is there something on my face?" she asked.

The soldier grinned. "Oh no! You see… I just thought you were the one who I've been waiting for all this time."

The princess was confused. "Excuse me? You were waiting for me?"

The soldier grinned even wider. "Yes! I've dreamt of meeting you all my life!"

Princess Garnet was beginning to feel a twinge of annoyance. She said in a frosty voice, "Do you mock me, sir?"

"No, of course not!" But he was still smiling widely.

There was a brief silence. "I must take my leave now," the princess said.

"Wait wait wait!" The soldier blocked her way. "Haven't we met before?"

"No I do not know you," she mumbled quickly. She was beginning to feel frightened. If anyone saw her now…

"Probably not, I'd never let someone as pretty as you get away—"

The princess was not listening. She spied another soldier at the foot of the stairs, and he looked sharper than the annoying smiley one.

"Hey, what's going on, Zidane?" the soldier said, going up the stairs.

"I must go!" The princess pushed the soldier away and started to flee down the stairs. But as she did, her hood fell down and everyone present could see her face. She quickly put her hood back on but the damage was done.

"I think that was Princess Garnet! Wow! Cinna's doll's very accurate!" she heard one of the soldiers say. She ran faster as the soldiers started pursuing her.

* * *

**A/N: I was debating on whether to put that racy *ahem* porno magazine and in the end, I decided to put it. In the unknown future, when I'm feeling in the mood for fillers, that magazine will come in handy (I'm planning two plots for it, one with Vivi, the other with Dagger :P)**

**Review if you want. I don't really mind if there aren't any though :) And of course suggestions if you want.**

**Oh guess I'll have to change the rating to T... I think... I'm not exactly sure with these ratings. They bamboozle me. .  
**


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